


You Might Turn To Fire

by figmentera



Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, Lucrezia-typical nastiness, POV Experimental
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-19 06:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/figmentera/pseuds/figmentera
Summary: Well, dear. That didn't work out as you hoped, did it?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19
Collections: Girl Genius Spark-Exchange Yuletide 2019





	You Might Turn To Fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [trumpetofdoom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trumpetofdoom/gifts).



> Title comes from Andrew Belle's "Details", which was one of the jumping-off points for this fic, along with the comic page from April 24, 2015 and, of course, my prompts, which were: "Back to Where It All Began"; "The Devil's in the Details"; "Never Tell Me the Odds"; and "I Hold You Responsible for My Failure to Communicate". I think I worked all four in, but I'm not convinced I did any of them straightforwardly. 
> 
> Anyway, even if this isn't much like you were expecting, I hope you enjoy it anyway, TrumpetofDoom! It certainly was fun to do!

Well, dear. That certainly didn’t work out as you hoped, did it? You’re back here. In this between sort of place. And of course this is a lovely place to be, with all the most distracting bits of life scrubbed away and all the chance in the world to plot, but, well, this isn’t the time. And besides, the fact that you’re here means you failed, doesn’t it? It means your irritating brother-in-law outthought you again, or else he got _lucky_ , except what he calls luck is so reliable it can hardly be blamed on anything as fickle as chance, can it? Can it? _Can_ it, Lucrezia? No. No, his plans always pan out, somehow. They always have. And so when he decided to just storm in and wreck everything, of course that worked too. He must’ve had some cunning plan, except that what it looked like was just a revenge-driven rampage. How were you ever supposed to stop him, when you know him so well and he still took you by surprise? You thought you warned your priestesses well enough. You thought you prepared everything. It should’ve worked, shouldn’t it have? But no. Apparently he’s just unbeatable.

No. No, you can’t think that way. It’ll work out next time. That was nothing. A practice run. He thinks he stopped you. And maybe he did, a little. You certainly had to leave in a hurry, didn’t you? Leave behind all of your half-finished projects? But you got away, that’s the important thing. He won’t be able to thwart you, not again. Next time your planning and cunning and deception will destroy him. You’ll have some time to work out how, now. Soon enough one of your loyal followers will finish their work and you’ll be out of here.

So for now, dear, you just plan out everything. It’s what you’re good at. Create one of those airtight plans, one of the good ones that nobody could tell anything wrong with until it closes in around them. Go over it again, and again — after all, they say that God’s in the details. And if this goes well, you’ll be a god yourself, won’t you? So take this time and make it work for you. Work out how to make them pay.

* * *

Yes, all right, that’s as much as you’ll be able to plan for without knowing more, isn’t it? You’ll have to adapt it, you know that. But, well, you were always good at improvisation. All you need is an audience.

It would be nice to have one here, wouldn’t it? Someone who can appreciate your brilliance as it deserves. Of course you already know how perfect your plan is, you don’t _need_ to describe it, and it’s not like there’s anyone who would understand well enough to truly appreciate it. But it’s been too long since any good admiration came your way. Or even just someone to have a little fun with, frankly. It’s been far too long since anything of that sort was open to you. All the years spent flashing through time… It was hard to stop, then, wasn’t it? You never really managed to stay stable long enough for any proper dalliances, and the degeneration… Well, you were enough parts metal that chastity was your only real option after a point. If nothing else, when you’re pulled out of this again, you’ll get a chance at being human again. That’ll be nice, won’t it, dear? Like being young again, before all the flashes. Before chance encounters like your tormenting of Van Rijn were the closest thing you had to companionship.

You miss it, just a little bit, don’t you? Back at the beginning, when all of this was just a dream of something greater than your life. Obviously sacrificing all that was worth it, and you wouldn’t go back to how you began, but… Oh, remember the looks you got, back then? All your companions wanted you, and playing them off of each other was easy as breathing. Easy as their warm embraces. Yes, life was good then. But they could never have been enough for you. Their petty existence was nothing compared to the glory you saw — why, your husband and his brother didn’t even know the power of what they lived above.

Things will be different, when you’re finally called back. It must be nearly time, surely. It’s hard even for you to evaluate how long it’s been, in this place without day or night or any other markers, but your people will come through for you soon. All you have to do is wait.

* * *

Surely they’ll arrive soon. How long has it been? How long will you be trapped here? So many of those you left behind adored you, so why is it taking this long? Make a list of everyone who should be coming. Your husband, he should be leading the charge, this is nothing compared to the things he’s charged into in the past. He was a failure of a husband on so many levels, but you would’ve thought you could rely on him at least for this! Wretched man. Your…. Well, your father, _surely_ he would stand by you. Surely he would, through all of this. You were always his favorite. You made sure of it. No matter how much Serpentina doted on him, he always loved you for your ruthlessness and ambition. One of the only people smart enough to see through you, surely he should make it here any moment. And there must be others. It’s hard to think after all this time, of course, but —Klaus! Or, no, he’d have more trouble, wouldn’t he? But you’ve seen him do much more difficult things. He never listened to the odds, not when he was determined. He’ll come eventually, if you just wait. Who else? Your priestesses. They admire you so much. Worship you. They’re a good start. Someday everybody else will worship you as they do, as… It’s tricky to call his name to your mind, but… Wilhelm! He’ll come. He will come for you, sooner or later. He should. Someone has to. You have plans to get to.

* * *

It’s been too long. It’s been too long and they should have come and _why haven’t they come_?

Their mistake, obviously. You’ll show them, someday. You’ll show them all, and they’ll properly regret leaving you to rot here. That’s what you’re good at, what you’re better at than anybody ever knew. They’ll rue the day they forgot about you.

No, this is not the end. So what if you’re here for longer than you expected? So what if you have to adjust your plans and adjust them again? It’s all their fault, anyway. They’re responsible. Even if you overestimated them, their ability to follow in your brilliance, they should’ve found you. For leaving you here? For letting you languish? Oh, they’ll all pay. Just picture their lovely screams, dear. Just focus on their anguish when you finally do get out, when you have a nice strong new body and all the time in the world to wreak havoc. You’ll have your reckoning for this. As soon as someone figures it out, as soon as someone finds you, you’ll have your revenge. It only takes one person to help, after all. With all the adoration you left behind, surely someone will come. Surely.

You just have to be patient. And yes, it’s terribly unpleasant, but think of the screams, Lucrezia. Think of how lovely it is to be obeyed. Just hold yourself together. Just _wait_.

Just wait.

You’ll make them all tremble, jump at the sound of your voice, you’ll bring the sky down again and you’ll burn all who displease you with a merest gesture. You’ll rise into a beautiful new form, adored and worshiped, you’ll be more powerful than anybody who ever came before, you’ll be a _goddess._

Just wait.


End file.
